1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mini-environment apparatus, and more specifically relates to a mini-environment apparatus including a wafer transportation machine and a wafer transportation room where the wafer transportation machine is arranged.
2. Description of the Related Art
In manufacturing steps of semiconductors, wafers are transported between respective processing apparatuses using a container called a FOUP or so. When the wafers are processed, the wafers in the container are transported from a FOUP to a processing room via an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) equipped with the respective processing apparatuses. The EFEM has a load port device and a mini-environment apparatus. The load port device installs a container for transporting wafers. The mini-environment apparatus connects between a container installed on the load port device and a processing room for processing the wafers.
The mini-environment apparatus has a wafer transportation machine and a wafer transportation room. The wafer transportation machine takes out the wafers from the container and transports them to the processing room. The wafer transportation room is provided with the wafer transportation machine and passed by the wafers transported from the container to the processing room. In the environment of the wafer transportation room where the wafers before and after being processed pass through, an inert state and a cleanliness that exceed a predetermined state are preferably maintained so as to protect surfaces of the wafers being transported by the wafer transportation machine from oxidation and contamination. As a method for improving an inert state and a cleanliness of a gas in the wafer transportation room, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus including a ceiling part of a wafer transportation room provided with a blowing fan, a particle removal filter such as ULPA filter and HEPA filter, and a fan filter unit combined with a chemical filter for removing a harmful gas component, and further including a local discharge unit with a fan for absorption and a high-quality filter.
Patent Document 1: JP 2008-296069A